


Tell Her I Love Her

by Miicah



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, I can't believe they cut it out, I can't write drabbles to save my life, Invasion! Crossover Event (CW DC TV Universe), TV Reporter!Iris, Team as Family, inspired by young justice!iris
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 05:10:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10847136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miicah/pseuds/Miicah
Summary: Inspired by theoriginal scriptwhere Barry actually does mention Iris before he sacrifices his life for the world like we all knew he should have. Also a story in which Iris is actually integrated into a crossover. Spans from the end of the Flash episode to the end of the Legends of Tomorrow episode of the Invasion! crossover.





	Tell Her I Love Her

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this idea ever since I saw that script ages ago. I'm still not over the fact that they CUT THAT OUT OF THE EPISODE. It honestly was just meant to be a couple thousand words at most but you know me, I can't write something short to save my life. Also mentioned James and Kara in here because I'm also not over them destroying that either?? Or them sleeping on what Iris could've done during this crossover like?? Basically just me trying to fix all this mess for my peace of mind.
> 
> Not beta'd because I don't have one! Hope y'all enjoy!

Papers went flying as Barry flashed into the Cortex, but the other two people in the room were too preoccupied to either notice or care about the mess; Iris was pacing by the computer terminal in the corner, on the phone with Lyla, while Felicity sat at the main workstation, fingers flying over the keyboard as she worked her magic.

“Anyone got eyes on them?” Barry asked as he walked towards the center of the room, sharing a look with Iris as he removed his cowl, both in greeting and assuring her that he was alright, before he turned and placed his hands upon the metal railing in front of the monitor Felicity was it.

“Nothing’s showing up on the satellite,” Felicity admitted angrily as she started a _third_ search, unwilling to accept that outcome.

“I haven’t seen any sign of them yet,” Supergirl replied; she had volunteered to search the skies in hopes of catching sight of the ship the others were probably beamed up on but was so far coming up empty.

Firestorm, who had also taken flight and was covering a lower atmospheric level than Supergirl, wasn’t having much better luck themselves. “We’ve got nada on our end, too,” Jax’s voice sounded.

“And I am not Vibing on anyone’s stuff.” Cisco walked into the Cortex, each hand holding an item of John’s and Thea’s.

Felicity looked up to eye what Cisco held—it wasn’t as if they had packed their most prized possessions with them in the meager belongings they brought for what was supposed to be a very short trip. “If you need something more personal, we’ve probably got something back at the Arrowcave.”

Cisco snapped his fingers at her, looking a little more hopeful. “That could work.”

“I just filled Lyla in on what’s going on,” Iris started as she joined the group, having taken the initiative on following through with Oliver’s plan before he was kidnapped while the others worked on finding him and the others. “She says she’ll do what she can to help find them before taking the news to the new President. I also told her to contact me if anything happens, so you can focus on getting our friends back.” The last part she had directed at Felicity, who Lyla had initially been contacting when they first initiated the four-group team up.

Felicity would have never brought it up herself, would’ve and could’ve multi-tasked like a boss if she had to, but her relief and gratitude was palpable as she looked up at Iris. It was one less thing she had to worry about, and all she wanted to do was put all her effort in finding everyone. “Thank you. I’ll contact you if we need any help during our search, too.”

Barry, who was absentmindedly running his hand up and down Iris’ back to show his appreciation for her help, nodded at the loose plan they had. “All right; I’ll bring you guys to Star City. Supergirl and Firestorm, you guys head back to S.T.A.R. Labs—better not push our luck and have the Dominators kidnap you, too.”

“Roger that!”

“We’re on our way!”

Iris watched as Felicity left to get ready, her gaze pausing at Cisco who had yet to leave to do the same. He clearly looked like he wanted to say something, but after an internal battle she could scarcely hear him mutter, “It’s for the mission, it’s for the mission…” before walking out. Iris winced—she knew how much it hurt Barry to hear Cisco vote for Oliver to be the leader of their group team up, the latest amongst the extremely cold shoulder actions Cisco was directing towards her boyfriend, and she hoped Barry hadn’t heard what was uttered.

One look over at him, though, showed he had, if Barry’s grimace was anything to go by. Wrapping her arms around his middle, Iris turned him towards her, trying to get his mind off of it. “I’ll be here when you get back, okay?” Despite the questioning undertones, she was telling him, not asking him; a subtle reminder that he had a friendly face to come home to, that she would always be on his side.

Barry understood the words that Iris hadn’t spoken and he smiled softly, leaning forward so that their foreheads touched. “I know.” He rubbed their noses together in an Eskimo kiss before capturing her lips in another one, knowing she knew the words _he_ hadn’t said, too; things with Cisco were going to take time, and though it was going to be hard, he knew he could get through them as long as Iris believed in him and was in his corner.

Iris smiled as they parted, though it dropped slightly as she got a serious thought. “Also, be careful out there; can’t have you getting snatched, too.”

Laughing at her choice of words—snatched, really?—Barry began backing away from her as he reached to put his cowl back on. “I’ll be back before you even miss me.”

Iris opened her mouth, but he was gone before she was even able to utter a word. “Well, you’re late, Barry Allen, because I already miss you!” she yelled anyway, crossing her arms and shaking her head fondly as she leaned against the desk railing.

“If it’s any consolation, he heard you,” Kara said as she appeared around the corner, and she gave Iris a sheepish smile when the other woman jumped at her words, clearly not expecting anyone else to be around.

“Supergirl! What? How…?” Iris stood and turned to face Kara, bewilderment clear on her face.

“Superhearing and superspeed—I heard him chuckling as he went to get Felicity and Cisco,” Kara explained. “Sorry for eavesdropping. And please, call me Kara.”

“No need to apologize, _Kara_ ,” Iris assured as Kara came to stand in front of her, smiling as she stressed the use of Supergirl’s real name, “ _I’m_ sorry for the PDA.”

“It never hurts to be reminded what we’re fighting for.” It was Kara’s way of brushing off Iris’ apology as Iris did towards her own. As she moved to join Iris in leaning against the main computer terminal, she added with a wistful sigh, “Though it does make me wish I had what you two have.”

Her curiosity peaked by the topic, a welcomed change from the doom and gloom that hung over them, Iris angled her body towards Kara. “Is there someone _super_ for Supergirl?”

A laugh sounded over the play on words, morphing into the sweet, goofy smile that unconsciously took over Kara’s features whenever she thought of James. “There is.” But as reality caught up with the happy memories she usually kept at the forefront of her mind, it turned into a frown. “Or, there _was_.” Kara hesitated—this really wasn’t the time or the place, but to speak to another woman who wasn’t her sister, especially since Cat left…

Sensing Kara faltering, Iris tried to ground her by focusing on something pleasant and solid. “Tell me about them.”

The effect of Iris’ plan was instantaneous—Kara calmed at familiar territory and brightened as she remembered the good things. “Well, his name is James Olsen. He’s a photographer at the company we work at…or he was, since he’s acting CEO now.” At Iris’ eyebrows raising, a sign of how impressed at the news she was, Kara beamed, proud of James’ accomplishments. “Yeah! He’s intelligent, and brave, and caring…”

Kara could’ve gone on for ages listing all the adjectives that pertained to James, and Iris must’ve caught on because she laughed—she knew the feeling. “Well, he sounds amazing!” But if that was the case, then… “What happened?” she asked softly, knowing the question was going to burst the good vibes they had going and wanted to be gentle about it.

“Oh, you mean other than James and the rest of National City falling until mind control after our first kiss? I mean, with James; I didn’t kiss all of National City.”

“Yeah, I got that—”

But Kara was on a roll now, and she didn’t let Iris finish before she spoke again, pacing as she got more wound up. “Or how about the fact that every time we tried to get together spaceships would literally drop out of the sky! We never even got to finish our first date! Was it a sign? I didn’t know what it all meant and I just went with what was safe.” Iris didn’t say anything, but her expectant look prompted Kara to finish. “I told him we should just be friends.”

Iris cringed, and Kara groaned, trudging back to sit beside the dark-haired woman—the ‘f-word’ was always the mark of death. “I know! And it didn’t help anything—we’re still bombarded by crisis and having to cut get-togethers short. But…” and this was what plagued Kara the most, “He agreed to it. Why would he do that if he wanted to be more than friends?”

Iris’ eyes softened, sympathetic. “Well, I can’t speak for James, but if something happened and Barry asked for a break…I would give it to him.”

Kara’s eyes widened almost comically at the admission. “What?! But why?”

Laughing at Kara’s reaction, Iris shrugged sheepishly—it _did_ sound pretty insane. “It wouldn’t be about what _I_ would want—it’d be about what Barry would _need_. I know that if he would ask for that, it’d be the very last option he could think of to deal with whatever was troubling him. I wouldn’t want to be the one to hinder that. I’ll always be here when he’s ready…or to kick his butt into gear if he takes too long,” she added, remembering how she had to do exactly that to get Team Flash back into gear after Eddie and Ronnie’s deaths.

Kara smiled at that, and Iris could practically see the wheels turning in her head, so she pressed forward, getting to her point. “Maybe it’s the same for James. You were clearly overwhelmed by everything that was going on and he didn’t want to exasperate things by trying to force the issue. But Kara—” And Iris paused until Kara looked at her, “—You won’t know unless you talk with him.”

Agreeing with her because he thought it was something she needed _did_ seem like something James would do, and though she knew Iris had a point, it was probably also the reason Kara had been putting it off. How was she supposed to bring it up, especially now after all this time?

Just as Kara was about to ask Iris from some help in that department, a gust of wind blew past and Barry was there, holding bags of takeout in each hand.

“Hey Iris, are you hung—Kara! There you are! I stopped by Big Belly Burger on the way back and got everyone some food, but I didn’t see you at your bunk, so—”

“So you were gonna eat my share, is that it?” Kara finished for Barry, reaching in between the monitors to grab one of the bags from his hands. “You know food is sacred for us!”

“Which is why I wasn’t going to let any go to waste,” Barry tried to explain before he and Kara dissolved into a fit of giggles.

“Seriously though, thank you. I’ll let you guys have some privacy,” Kara said as she moved towards the hallway exit. “And Iris—I really appreciate your help.”

Iris didn’t feel as if she had done anything extraordinary, but she nodded her head in acknowledgement. “I’m always here if you ever need to talk.”

Barry looked between the two of them until Kara disappeared around the corner, confused. “Did I interrupt something?”

Shaking her head, Iris walked around the table and folded a leg underneath her as she sat down on the chair. “What do you know about James Olsen?” she asked before popping a fry into her mouth.

* * *

They were just finishing their food when Iris’ phone rang, and Iris swallowed the last remaining food in her mouth as she wiped her hands on a napkin, glancing at the caller display: Felicity Smoak. Sharing a look with Barry, Iris pressed the speaker. “Hey Felicity, you’ve got Barry and me on speaker.”

“Any leads on Oliver and the others?” Barry asked after he wiped his mouth clean of any lingering crumbs.

“Hey guys.” Felicity sighed before she recounted what happened, from Cisco’s Vibe to trying to hack into alien tech and the utter failure that was. “Good news is that Vanhorne Industries finished developing a prototype of a regulator we can use to offset the huge load. The bad news is that it’s already been stolen.”

“I’m guessing this is where we come in.” Though it sounded like a question, Barry had said it like it was a statement, because it wasn’t whether they were needed that was in doubt but what they would be doing.

Noticing it for the comment that it was, Felicity refrained from answering it. “As luck would have it, it’s not just any ol’ burglar that had taken it but a _cyborg doctor_. She’s got implants that give her enhanced strength, stamina and electricity-based powers.”

Iris looked at Barry, realizing where Felicity was going with this. “You have electricity flowing through you.”

Barry caught her gaze, also following the train of thought. “Kara’s the strongest person I know.”

“And you have _amazing_ stamina,” Iris finished with a smile that was anything but innocent. Barry smirked, catching on instantly, and he leaned forward, intent on capturing Iris’ lips in a kiss.

Before they could seal the deal, though, Felicity spoke. “Uh, guys!”

Rolling their chairs away from each other slightly, Iris and Barry cleared their throats, the latter rubbing the back of his neck. “And Kara does too, I’m sure. The stamina, I mean. Not that I would know from experience or anything.”

Iris covered her mouth with a hand, stifling a laugh from escaping. If Felicity didn’t have a clue what she had just interrupted, she surely had an inkling now.

“ _Barry_ …” Felicity warned.

“Right! We’ll be there in a minute,” Barry said quickly before ending the call. Standing, he bent down to give Iris a chaste kiss before rushing to get Kara and heading for Star City.

Caitlin, Dr. Stein, Jax and Mick soon joined Iris in the Cortex once they left—Caitlin to help track the telemetry of Barry’s suit, and the others on standby on Barry’s orders just in case Central City needed protecting while he and Kara were gone.

“How’s Wally doing?” Iris asked Caitlin as the other woman settled into the seat beside her.

“He’s a fast healer, like Barry. He should be in perfect condition in the morning. Joe’s staying with him now,” Caitlin answered with a smile.

Iris returned the smile. “Thank you, Caitlin.”

“Anytime.”

“Y’know, I’ve been thinking,” Jax started as he moved his gaze from the monitors on the wall. “Once we get everyone back, we’ll still need a way of dealing with these Dominators.”

“I say we blow them to smithereens,” Mick offered, holding his heat gun forward and pretending to fire it. No one was surprised by that answer.

“I feel like we’ll only have one shot at it,” Iris said, shifting in her seat a little when all eyes turned to her—it wasn’t often that she spoke up in brainstorm sessions like these and the attention was a little jarring. It was too late to back out now, though, so she soldiered on. “Like, if they somehow don’t see an attack that big coming from a mile away, then they definitely won’t clump together for a second time.”

“‘That big’…” Dr. Stein repeated, the words getting him thinking. “Perhaps something small that they won’t see coming—a nano weapon.”

“Smaller bombs, then,” Mick tried again, really wanting to see something go up in flames.

“Or…” Caitlin wanted to try to stay away from anything lethal, “Something that can attack their nervous system and incapacitate them.”

There was a pause before Mick shrugged—it wasn’t his first choice, but… “Whatever gets them off my planet.”

Iris smiled, feeling hopeful and happy to have helped contribute. “Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

When Barry and Kara returned from a successful mission, Iris filled Barry in on the plan they had come up with. He beamed, proud of her and their friends, and he planted a kiss on her temple before glancing into the one of the adjacent labs, where Dr. Stein and Caitlin were already trying to work on the nano weapon—Caitlin studying the physiology of the Dominators from some materials Lyla was able to share to figure out what would hurt them the most, and Dr. Stein laying the groundwork of the device itself.

“That’s great news! Maybe when Ray and Cisco get back they’ll have more ideas on how to build it.”

“I know you’re dying to get in there, too, and go all Bill Nye on me.” Iris laughed, though it soon turned into a yawn that she tried to stifle.

Barry shrugged sheepishly, not surprised that Iris knew him so well. Though science was more his wheelhouse than technology was, he did eventually create Gideon at some point and that had to start somewhere, right? Noticing Iris’ increasing exhaustion, though, put such thoughts on the back burner for now.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest for a bit?” Barry asked with a frown—when he had returned he suggested that they take turns standing guard while the others rested, as it wouldn’t do to have them all dead on their feet. Iris had refused then, but it was well into the early morning and he knew she planned to go into work in a few hours.

Still, Iris shook her head. “I’ll rest when _you_ do,” she said resolutely, not mentioning that ever since they began sleeping next to each other it was hard to get a good night’s rest without him. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve run off of coffee, and it won’t be the last. Besides,” she held up her cellphone and waved it around, “I’m the liaison, remember?”

As if to prove that point, Iris’ phone rang at that moment and she answered it normally, knowing they didn’t have enough privacy to put it on speaker again. “Hey, Felicity. Any luck finding them? You did!” Iris turned to look at Barry, who stood straighter and moved in closer at her words. “That’s gre—wait, they’re _where_? One sec.” Trapping her phone between her ear and her shoulder, Iris grabbed a pen and some paper. “Okay, shoot.”

Barry leaned over Iris as she wrote, realizing she was being given coordinates. Except those kind of numbers only occurred in space…and that shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was. They were dealing with _aliens_ who held their friends hostage on a _spaceship_ , where else would they be?

“All right, we’ll let the Waverider know ASAP. Great work, Felicity. See you soon.”

Barry was already in contact with Nate by the time Iris got off the phone, and after that he went to pick up Felicity and Cisco so that they could wait for news together back at S.T.A.R. Labs.  Daybreak had hit by the time the Waverider hit the Earth’s atmosphere again, and with plans for the team to meet at the hanger after the Waveriver made a stopover in Star City to drop off Thea, everyone had a brief collective sigh of relief before getting back to business—things weren’t over yet.

“Hey, would you like a lift back to your apartment?” Barry offered as he walked Iris to the elevator.

“Are you sure that won’t make you late?” Iris’ eyebrows furrowed in worry, but only for a moment before she realized the error in her choice of words.

Before she could correct herself, Barry was giving her a ‘really now?’ look, his arms spread out beside him. “Fastest man alive, remember?” he teased her, laughing as she rolled her eyes.

“Ha, ha.” Iris made a point of speaking the words, not doing them, but the grin on her face showed how much she was fighting not laughing with him. As they reached the elevator and Barry pressed the button Iris’ phone rang, and she paused at the ‘Private Number’ notification before answering. “Iris West speaking…yes, I’ll hold.”

Throwing a bewildered look Barry’s way, Iris suddenly stood at attention as if a drill sergeant was before her, and it was Barry’s turn to throw her a puzzled look. Iris’ next words soon explained her behaviour, though.

“Madam President.”

“Iris West,” the voice spoke into Iris’ ear, “I hear you can grant me an audience with the Flash.”

* * *

Iris continued to distractedly worry her bottom lip like she had been ever since Barry dropped her off at her apartment, even as she walked now into Central City Picture News. Logically she supposed it could’ve been shock of actually talking with the _President of the United States of America_ , but her gut was telling her that the fact that it even happened at all was the problem.

How did the President even get her number? Well, no, surveillance was always a thing, but Lyla was the most likely contact. But then why didn’t Lyla call her, or Felicity, or better yet, set up a meeting with them herself? Though the topic of their conversation certainly warranted the President dealing with it personally… Iris couldn’t put her finger on it, but something about the whole situation was giving her a bad vibe (ha, Cisco would’ve loved that pun).

Iris dropped her stuff off in her office, intending to visit the political writers they had and asking what the protocol was in being contacted by the President, but her plan was derailed as Scott walked in.

“Good morning, Iris,” he greeted her.

“Hello Scott,” Iris said slowly—he didn’t usually come into her office just to say make small talk. “What can I do for you?”

“Just wondering if you heard about that government aircraft that crash landed downtown a couple nights ago?”

There was a moment of hesitation before Iris shrugged as nonchalantly as she could, walking over to the light table across of the room hoping to pretend to busy herself with some proofs there. “Yeah, Channel 52 News said it was some military exercise gone wrong, right?”

Unfortunately, her escape move didn’t last long as Scott followed her over. “You don’t actually believe that, do you? I’m a journalist too, Iris, I can read body language and spot deflection just as well as you can.”

Letting out a sigh, Iris dropped the act and turned to face him, a hand on her hip. “What are you really asking me, Scott?”

“Channel 52 is catching a lot of flak for ‘covering up’ some huge alien conspiracy; that they’ll only believe the city’s resident expert on all things supernatural for the truth—you. We potentially have a really huge platform here if you’ve been sitting on this story, Iris.”

Iris had a feeling he was going to go there. What _could_ she even reveal? There was a reason why she was letting the narrative Channel 52 ran with take the lead on this one. Her entire life was basically one huge story after another that she could never write. “I…”

Scott sensed Iris faltering and he jumped on it—some may have viewed it as a bad thing, but to him it meant someone was teetering between options and he had a chance to sway them in his direction. “It doesn’t even have to be anything big—even a small teaser article released by noon will hook the people in for more later.”

A large shadow suddenly passed by the windows in Iris’ office, catching both of their attentions at the sheer size of it—it had darkened the room considerably for a long moment—and it saved Iris from having to answer. However, as they moved to see what could cause a shadow of that size, Iris realized she didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore.

“I’ll do you one better, since our noon deadline got pushed up to _right now_ ,” Iris said before she stalked out of her office with Scott right on her heels.

“Iris, what are you going to do?” Scott questioned as he tried to keep up with her—she could really move when she wanted to.

“Getting you that story.” As they reached the open floor where she used to work when she just started out, Iris headed towards the first table she saw that held what she needed. “I need to borrow a camera,” she told the group once she was near.

It wasn’t hard to connect the dots, and Scott didn’t like what he concluded. “Iris, I can’t let you do this.”

Iris whirled around to face him. “What I know can save lives.”

The group Iris had approached looked between her and Scott, clearly caught between their boss and their co-worker. Thankfully, someone else a few tables down got up, and Iris recognized him as Danny, the one who had shot the footage of Zoom last year when he had come into CCPN dragging Barry around in his city-wide tour. “What’s the story?” Danny asked.

There was a pause before Iris nodded out the window. “That.”

Most everyone moved to look outside, eventually stepping back and gasping at what they saw. Danny reacted more calmer than most, and in fact seemed more resolute than before. “I’m in.”

Iris shook her head—he didn’t understand. “I just need a camera.”

“And do you know how to operate it? Think you’re gonna have time to set up a tripod before things go south?”

“It’s not going to be safe,” Iris stressed, trying to make Danny understand why she didn’t want to drag anyone else into this—she couldn’t have that on her head.

“Good thing I won’t be alone,” Danny countered, and Iris smiled wryly when she realized she wasn’t going to talk him out of this any more than Scott was going to talk _her_ out of this.

Nodding she turned to face the rest of her co-workers. “I’m going to need us to go live on all social media accounts we’ve got once we start recording. And try to get the broadcast signal boosted any way you can. We need as much people to see this as possible. Just stay inside away from the windows and you guys should be fine.”

Sharing one last look with Scott, Iris followed Danny out of the building and into the CCPN van parked in the lot. It wasn’t until they had buckled up and were on their way that she realized—“I don’t know anything about being a TV reporter.”

Danny chuckled softly at Iris’ deer in headlights expression that he caught a glimpse at as he drove. “It’s a lot like being a journalist, only out loud instead of on paper. Considering how well you do the latter, you’ll be a natural in front of a camera.”

Iris smiled briefly at the comment before the gravity of their situation weighed down on them once more, and they were somber as they, and they alone, weaved by abandoned cars and drove towards one of the large spaceships looming overhead as the rest of traffic, vehicular and pedestrian alike, headed in the opposite direction.

In the back of her mind, Iris hoped this wasn’t what was giving her bad vibes earlier.

* * *

 “This isn’t up for debate. It’s not even a close call: turn myself over to the Dominators, they leave the rest of the world alone. Simple.” If Barry didn’t sound half as resigned and broken as he felt, despite how hard he tried to sound otherwise, maybe the rest of the team assembled before him in the hanger would believe him.

Well, no. Maybe not even then.

Swallowing through the cotton that felt like was in his mouth, Barry forced himself to look past all the weighted looks the others were giving him to focus on Felicity—Cisco was the only other one from Team Flash here, but considering the current state of their relationship at the moment he didn’t feel putting his next request on his shoulders, and after Cisco Felicity was the next closest to Iris. “Tell Iris I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye. Tell her I love her.” He knew why he couldn’t do it himself, and it was almost ironic how he could (mostly) fearlessly give up his life for billions of people but was so afraid to speak to just one.

Granted, she was the most important one of them all, but somehow that made it worse.

Felicity looked like she wanted nothing more than to reject Barry’s final request, but it was also _because_ it was his final request that she couldn’t refuse him, either. At the very least, Iris deserved to know what happened; that despite Barry’s actions she was his last thought. “Fine,” she agreed reluctantly. “But know that just because I’m agreeing to it doesn’t mean I don’t think this sucks.”

“Barry, it doesn’t matter what you’ve done, you can’t do _this_ ,” Diggle tried to reason with him, half-convinced that Barry’s guilt over changing their lives as a result of Flashpoint was a huge factor in Barry deciding to give into the Dominator’s demands.

Knowing he’d start to second guess himself if he allowed himself to stop and take in what the others were saying, Barry pressed on as if Diggle never spoke. “It’s been an honour to know all of you, to fight alongside of you. Now it’s up to you to keep our home safe.” He tried to look them each in the eye one last time—they were probably the last people he’d ever lay eyes on—but after that thought Barry only managed a brief sweep over before he turned and began walking away; even though he made up his mind to do this, it didn’t mean he had to use his speed and rush it.

Barry had only taken a couple steps before Felicity’s phone lit up with a notification, and though she had every intention of turning it off and throwing it across the room for interrupting a very important moment, her blood ran cold as her eyes caught sight of the headline. “Oh frack,” Felicity swore, her fingers flying across the surface of her phone as she turned to face the small wall of monitors behind them. “Guys, _Barry_ , you need to see this.”

Barry kept walking—he knew a trap when he heard one—but Iris’ voice playing through the speakers stopped him dead in his tracks.

“This is Iris West, reporting live from downtown Central City with a story that most of you have probably already heard about…and yet haven’t, not really.”

Against his better judgement, Barry turned to look at the monitors, to look at _her_ , and his first thought—rather unconsciously—was how she had showered and put on a change of clothes since the last time he saw her after dropping her off at her apartment; he could practically smell the perfume she always spritzed on afterward. It was probably an odd thing to notice considering most would assume that was obvious, but knowing how side-tracked they were after that call with the ‘President’ he didn’t think she had must time to do anything other than grab the first new thing she saw in her closet before leaving again.

“Truthfully, there are sides to this that I still can’t share with you, simply because they’re not mine to share. Those parties will come forward in due time, I’m sure of it.”

Barry’s next thought was how terrified Iris was; whether it was because she was on screen, the situation she was in or a combination of both was unclear. Outwardly, she didn’t look it—she _never_ looked it if there was ever an audience, even in front of him sometimes—but he knew her better than he knew himself; it always went farther than knowing her favourite caffeine fix or ice cream flavour.

“But I stand before you now because this simply cannot be kept hidden anymore.” Iris lifted a hand up, and the camera panned skyward, where a large spaceship filled two-thirds of the screen. “They’re called the Dominators, and as the name suggests, they are not here peacefully. That’s the bad news. The good news is that our very own scarlet speeder is working as we speak to take these Dominators down, and he is not alone.”

“No, he’s not,” Kara agreed, turning her head to give a meaningful look back at Barry. “Also, Iris is _really_ good at giving pep talks.”

Barry let out a laugh, nodding helplessly because there was no denying that fact; Iris had helped get him through every hurdle in his life. “Yeah, among other things,” he said fondly.

“So, now that you’ve been reminded that you are, in fact, _not alone_ ,” Oliver stressed as he took a step towards Barry, “know that you’re gonna have to get _through us_ if you want to leave; likewise, the Dominators will have to get _through us_ if they want to get to you.”

“I don’t like you, Red,” Mick started, seemingly ruining the moment, “but when you got a crew, you don’t take a hit for the rest.”

Felicity paused and made a face at the parallel before shrugging and smiling—Mick was essentially correct, and it was oddly comforting to know that felons had a sense of honour and family amongst them.

Barry must’ve thought the same if his matching grin was anything to go by, and he reluctantly took a step towards them, hesitant because a part of him knew this was wrong but the other part of him knowing ‘how can it _not_ be right?’—

—And Iris was saving his life once more, without even being there, without even knowing.

“That’s actually pretty inspiring,” Barry admitted. “I mean, up until the point that Mick compared us to a bunch of criminals, but…”

“According to the Dominators, we might as well be,” Amaya chimed in, because it was basically why they were being attacked in the first place.

“And maybe they’re right,” Nate piggybacked on Amaya’s comment; it was hard to hear, but there was some truth in that statement. “Maybe we do more harm than good, but this is our chance to find out.” He looked across the room at Cisco, remembering the very same conversation they shared after their Vibed meeting with the Dominator they had saved.

Cisco looked away first, knowing he had to say something before it was too late. No matter how today went down, he couldn’t let Barry continue thinking that he hated him—not now that he stands in Barry’s shoes having changed time, not now that he helped create a scenario where Barry would have to give up his life, not now when Barry would still die to protect him despite how he had been treating Barry lately, because that’s just who Barry was.

“We’re not letting you sacrifice yourself,” Cisco started as he approached Barry, shaking his head. “There’s no way. I don’t care if that’s what it means to be a hero; you’re not a hero to me.” Barry looked down, dejected, and Cisco pushed forward to finish his thought, damned if he was going to mess up his obtuse apology. “You’re my friend.”

Barry’s face was neutral for a moment, his eyes scanning Cisco’s expression as if looking for the lie, some proof that Cisco was just saying what he wanted to hear ‘for the team’. When he found none, though, a small smile graced his lips.

The moment was officially ruined as Jax and Sara came rushing in. “Yo, guys, you know the ship that landed in Central City?” Jax asked rhetorically once they were in hearing range.

“It’s opening up,” Sara finished.

“Iris,” Barry breathed out as they all returned their gazes to the screens, and after the team had come up with their plan of attack Barry was gone with Kara hot on his tail.

* * *

“…But they’re still going to need our help, Central City. If you’re outside, make your way inside a building, and if you’re already inside stay there. Not only will these actions keep you out of harm’s way, but they will allow the Flash and the team he’s assembled to focus their efforts on fighting the Dominators…”

With Iris’ back towards the ship and Danny’s attention on filming Iris, neither even realized that the Dominators were approaching them until Danny noticed them creeping into the frame. Looking away from the camera to view the scene in person with his own eyes, Danny tried to subtly yet urgently signal Iris about the imminent threat, not wanting to alarm any viewers of their live feed by straight out running for the hills or letting the Dominators know that they knew they were there and cause the aliens to rush them.

Quick on the uptake, Iris faltered with her words for a hot second before she continued speaking, keeping up appearances even as she took a step forward for every one that Danny took backwards, trying to steer them back towards the van. When the Dominators began screeching, though, that plan went out the window, and in one moment Iris had turned to face the aliens as one reared back an arm ready to attack then in the next she was gone in a streak of red.

Danny and the Dominators froze, not expecting the turn of events, and just as the Dominators moved to target him instead he only saw the blue of the sky and the wind in his hair. He was _flying_. Before he could gather himself and point the camera at his saviour Danny was on the roof of a building with the Flash and Iris standing a few feet away from him.

“You should both be safe here,” the woman that had carried him stated as she put him down and approached Iris and the Flash. “At least for now,” she added quietly, realizing the camera was now pointed in their direction.

Iris nodded, understanding what she meant—none of them would be safe anywhere until the Dominators were taken care of. “Thank you, Supergirl.” Iris looked over at the man in red. “And…Flash.” She hoped the pause in between words would be chalked up to her being shaken up than her almost forgetting not to call Barry by his real name.

Barry rested a hand on her shoulder before he and Kara sped off to join the rest of the team in the fight. Iris watched them go for a moment before looking at Danny. “Danny, you okay?” Danny’s hand appeared in frame as he gave her a thumbs up and Iris squared her shoulders, getting back to business.

“Not only did you just see one of the people teaming up with the Flash to protect us all—she goes by the name of Supergirl, one of the good aliens out there—but you also witnessed a live demonstration of why you should get indoors and stay there…”

They weren’t sure how much time had gone by since the Dominators made landfall, but they had spent it scanning above for more ships, around for any signs of the ongoing battle and below to see where the Dominators were and relaying it to help people fleeing on ground.

Suddenly a heavy downpour fell upon them—a sunshower, for there were no clouds warning of a sudden storm—but it had ended almost as soon as it had started. It completely soaked them and their equipment, but after Danny checked the camera—it seemed to be made of the same grade meteorologists used in severe weather—they were rolling once more.

“I’m not sure what that just was, but it has prompted the immediate retreat of the Dominators,” Iris reported as she pushed wet hair out of her eyes and watched as beams of light gathered Dominators from all around them. “I’m sure I represent us all when I send a grossly understated amount of gratitude to the men and women who protected us today: we will forever be in your debt.”

* * *

“…Metahuman or not, masked or not, each and every one of you is a hero.”

The small crowd that had been invited to attend the high-clearance press conference erupted in thundering applause, and Iris joined everyone as she got to her feet as they gave said heroes a standing ovation. She had tried to decline going—despite one mayoral soirée political journalism was not her area of expertise—her colleagues at CCPN had insisted, even the ones who _were_ political journalists. She had risked her life for this and deserved to see it to the end. Besides, the extraordinary was _her_ thing.

“Iris West.”

It was eerie how déjà vu it was, and Iris froze. The military personal she had been speaking with took their leave in her moment of silence, and there was no other option but to turn and face the _real_ President. “Madam President,” Iris found herself echoing from the conversation she _didn’t_ have with the leader of the free world—Barry had told her it was all a trap.

“I wanted to give you my most sincere thanks for giving me the opportunity to release my own statement about what had happened at the beginning of this crisis—most other journalists would have used the opportunity to greatly further their career by gaining the upper hand on the White House,” the President said.

Iris shook her head, waving the gratitude away modestly. “I’m not that kind of person—or journalist, frankly. Besides, I meant what I said: it wasn’t my story to tell.”

The President smiled before becoming a little more somber. “I would also like to deeply apologize for the behaviour of Agent Smith.” At Iris’ confused expression, she explained further. “He used his position at the NSA to contact you and set up a trap for the Flash and his friends. He conducted unsanctioned operations and acted without my consent and I regret not catching on sooner.”

Iris bowed her head in acceptance of the President’s apology. “I don’t blame you for the actions of a rogue agent, Madam President. I should have caught on myself.”

“It’s a small consolation,” the President started, looking around the hanger until her eyes landed on Kara, “But…Supergirl, was it? She gave me the most intriguing idea. Agent Smith will be relocated to Antarctica, where he won’t be able to hurt anyone ever again.”

Iris offered a small smile and nodded, watching as the President turned to take her leave.

“Oh, and Miss West? Thank _you_ for your service; you were a hero today as well.”

Iris let out a disbelieving laugh, not believing her ears. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Didn’t you? Not all heroes have powers or wear uniforms,” the President countered, and then she was gone, reminding Iris of something similar she had said during the fake Godzilla incident.

* * *

Ironically enough, hours later, after all the guests had left and the heroes changed into their civilian selves and were having their own celebration, Agent Smith had crashed the party, flanked by his own bodyguards. Nate had left the small group he had been hanging with to cut him off before he could reach the others, and Kara soon left Barry, Iris, Oliver and Ray to tell Agent Smith the great news of his reassignment that the President hadn’t had the chance to yet.

Barry wrapped an arm protectively around Iris, and Oliver and Ray moved closer on either side of the couple, further guarding them as they watched the scene unfold. The tension lifted as Kara returned with a satisfied look on her face and Nate yelled at Agent Smith’s and his lackeys’ backs as they left to ‘pack a jacket’.

Soon, though, it was time for Kara to return to Earth Thirty-Eight, and Iris gave her a huge hug as Barry, Oliver, Sara and Diggle went ahead first.

“Be careful, travel safely, and feel free to contact me anytime,” Iris said as they pulled away, holding each other by the forearms. “Let me know how it goes with James,” she added, winking at her.

Kara’s face heated up and she nodded shyly, adjusting her glasses. “I will, to everything,” she said, and she gave one last wave to everyone else who wasn’t seeing her off before leaving to meet up with the others, clutching the device Cisco had made her.

“Hey, Iris,” Felicity started as she approached her, looking around as if checking if the coast was clear, “Can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Yeah, of course.” Motioning forward, they headed outside through a side door. The air was cool and crisp, and Iris shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she faced Felicity. “What’s up?”

Felicity swallowed, looking unsure for a moment, but as soon as she locked eyes with Iris she remembered why she was doing this and steeled herself. “Barry told you about the fake meeting with the President that Agent Smith concocted, right? You should totally get a new phone, by the way; I can help make it more secure and NSA-proof.”

Iris laughed, because of course she could—and it’d probably be better than letting S.T.A.R. Labs do it, considering their track record of people just walking in and out of their hideout like it was a shopping mall. “Yeah, and I’d really appreciate that, thank you.” Her smile slowly faded as Felicity’s expression didn’t lighten. “But that’s not what this is about, is it?”

Felicity shook her head. “Did he tell you what Smith’s plan was? What the Dominators wanted?” Iris went still and she took that as a ‘no’. “They wanted Barry, Iris. And he was going to give himself up to save everyone, because of course he was, that’s who he is.” Iris’ eyes began to water and Felicity hesitated only for a moment before pushing forward, before she lost her nerve.

“He asked me to tell you that he was sorry that he didn’t say goodbye, that he loved you, and I accepted to do so for the same reason I’m telling it to you now even though we managed to avert the crisis: you deserved to know. Oliver and I…we broke up over secrets and I…” She trailed off—Iris and Barry weren’t her and Oliver, and she wanted it to stay that way. “I just thought you should know.”

Iris covered her mouth and turned around, forcing herself to breathe as she gathered herself enough to say, “Thank you, Felicity. I-I really appreciate it, but I—”

“Right! Yes, I will give you some time alone,” Felicity said quickly, taking the out she was given. “I’m sorry.” With that, she took her leave. When she returned inside, she noticed Barry had come back from seeing Kara off and was looking around for Iris when their eyes met, immediately putting two and two together.

“Felicity,” Barry said in a low, slow voice when he was within hearing distance, “What did you do?”

“What you asked me to,” she answered, watching as Barry’s expression fell and he flattened the hair above his ears. “Hey, we’ve both seen firsthand what happens when you’ve kept things from her when you guys were just friends—that goes up _exponentially_ now that you’re together. I know you just want to keep her safe, but shutting her out of your life only hurts her more.” Felicity took a step towards Barry, getting into the cocoon he was trying to hide in. “Talk to her, Barry; if you can’t go to _her_ in times like this, who _can_ you turn to?”

Barry looked at Felicity for a moment before lowering his arms and nodding. He knew this, always did, but sometimes—more often than his friends and family probably liked—he needed a little kick in the right direction. With a deep breath and a pat on the back from Felicity, Barry headed outside through the door Felicity had just walked through earlier.

Iris had her back towards him, her head tilted up to look at the starry sky—as far out as they were from downtown Central City, it was easier to see them. She didn’t turn around to see if it was him before she started talking, and she didn’t have to—she knew him and their friends well enough.

“You could be somewhere out there right now if they didn’t stop you from leaving, if you were even still—” Iris cut herself off and looked down, unable to even the sentence; it should never be spoken into existence. “And I wouldn’t even know until it was too late, and from someone else, no less. I mean, I know we’re still early in this relationship, but—”

“Hey!” Barry interrupted her this time, rushing in front of her and cradling her face in her hands, lifting it up so that she was looking at him. “ _Don’t_. _You_ are the reason I didn’t leave, you and your badass reporting—on TV!—saving me without even realizing it. Almost gave me a heart attack, but…”

Iris smiled weakly, her bottom lip trembling, and Barry slowly ran his thumb over it, trying to still it. “And that is _not_ why I didn’t tell you goodbye personally. Everyone thinks I’m this selfless person—at least, before Flashpoint…”

Iris grabbed onto both his wrists then, trying to stop him from going any farther down the self-deprecating road he was on, and it was Barry’s turn to smile feebly—here he was, trying to comfort _her_ , and here she was still trying to console _him_.

“But when it comes to you, Iris West, I am the most selfish person the in _universe_. Leaving you to close the singularity, and then _again_ when I created Flashpoint…” Barry shook his head before leaning down, resting his forehead against hers. “I couldn’t see you then leave a third time. It doesn’t get easier every time I have to leave or say goodbye; it gets harder. I’m weak for you, Iris—”

“You’re _strong_ —”

“—For _you._ ”

Iris looked at him—which was hard to do without getting cross-eyed, being as close as they were—and she let out a huff in playful annoyance. “As much as I would love to take credit for this, you were a strong, selfless person before I even met you, Barry Allen.”

“But you make me better,” he added, moving his hands from her face to wrap them around her instead.

“Okay, I’ll take that,” Iris teased, because he wasn’t going to let it go—and part of her really liked it, to be honest. “But seriously now, Bear: almost losing you after you were struck by lightning, and then _again_ after you _disintegrated_ into the Speed Force, I…I can’t do it a third time either. Don’t go where I can’t follow. If you can’t come home to me, I will come home to you. But you have to tell me so I can find my way, okay?”

There was a long pause before Barry nodded, causing Iris’ head to nod as well since they were still connected by their foreheads, and they laughed, sealing their lips together in a kiss.

“I promise,” Barry whispered against her mouth, melting against each other once more.

When the others came looking for them, they found the couple laying on the ground, one of Barry’s arm acting as Iris’ head cushion while the other was pointing up at the sky, pointing out constellations.

“Hey lovebirds, if you’re done being gross and cute we still have more booze to finish in here!” Sara yelled.

Barry and Iris laughed, shaking their heads, and they stood up, wrapping their arms around each other as they walked back towards their family for one last hurrah before they all had to go their separate ways once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Young Justice!Iris who is a TV reporter. Also got the name for the camera from there, too, but the guy himself actually was the one who was recording Zoom when he dragged Barry into CCPN. Ironically enough the episode of Young Justice where I got the idea from was also during an alien invasion. Huh. What are the chances?
> 
> I also can't believe the President had wanted to keep this a secret in her speech like?? I'm pretty sure people saw the Dominators walking around the city but okay, good luck with that. That didn't happen here.
> 
> "...and Barry asked for a break…I would give it to him.” - reference to the fact that Iris did in fact agree to Barry's break during 3x16.
> 
> "Do it a third time" is reference to the theory and spoiler video that Barry will leave Iris to enter the Speed Force and Iris is just a wreck watching him go =/ Though it's more like fourth time for them since he had to say goodbye and she almost lost him when he went into the Speed Force to save Wally in 3x16 so double =// Or rather fifth for Iris after Barry almost died in 3x17 LMAO omg But they don't know that yet lol LET THEM BE HAPPY S4 PLEASE.


End file.
